it met this association comprised
fourteen societies and they had worked chiefly for the Municipal
franchise. In 1906 the Kvindesamfund, organized in 1871 to work for
the general cause of women and advocating the franchise, adopted as
part of its regular program Municipal and full suffrage and joined the
Woman Suffrage Association. As early as 1888 it had presented to the
Rigsdag a petition by women all over the country asking the Municipal
franchise for single women, which the Lower House was willing to grant
but the Upper House ignored. The interest died out for awhile but in
1904 and 1905 the Lower House again favored this limited grant and in
the winter of 1906 both Houses received delegates from the society but
no action was taken.

The congress of the Alliance in 1906, which lasted over a week, was a
revelation of the size and strength of the movement for woman suffrage
and the great ability of women. It was cordially recognized by the
press and people and a great impetus was given to the work in Denmark.
That year a liberal Rigsdag was elected and a suffrage campaign was
made by the association. In 1907 the Parliament gave a vote to women
for public boards and the right to be elected to them and the Upper
House abandoned its opposition to enfranchising married women. A
strong movement was developed among women and many new suffrage
societies were formed. On April 20, 1908, the Parliament gave to
single women who pay taxes and to married women whose husbands are
taxpayers the Municipal franchise and eligibility. This was a
beginning and the Suffrage Association distributed 18,000 circulars to
women in Copenhagen before the elections the following March urging
them to go to the polls. Seventy per cent. of those entitled to vote
did so and seven were elected to the city council. In all districts
127 were elected.

There was a growing demand for a revision of the constitution and in
October the association sent in a petition that this should include
the complete enfranchisement of women. There was at this time national
agitation for election reforms, for direct election of the Upper
House, for lowering the voting age from 30 to 25, and this went in
with the other demands. By 1911 the National Association had 144
sections with 12,000 members and maintained a press bureau, supplying
60 papers. Another association, the Landsforbundet, had 100 branches
and 11,000 members, and published a paper, and there were many out